Tertiary funding review launched

Responding to the Government's launch of a review of tertiary education funding, Dr Tim Bradshaw, Chief Executive of the Russell Group, said: “We look forward to engaging with the review, which will need to consider how to provide sustainable funding for universities, alongside fairness to students and taxpayers, and improvements to student choice and access.

“The UK has a world-class higher education system which makes a major contribution to the economy and society, so we should be ambitious about developing this further. We welcome that the review will take account of the important role universities play as drivers of research and innovation. It is the combination of cutting edge research and research-intensive learning that gives the UK university sector an advantage over its competitors.

“It will be important for the review panel to look at all aspects of university funding, rather than focusing on tuition fees in isolation. A whole-system approach is needed to avoid unintended consequences of changes in one area impacting on another.”